西部 (xī bù) — western part | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

西部 means the western part of a specific region, especially China, as in 中国西部. For 'the West' as a cultural/political bloc (Western countries), use 西方.

noun

western part

Examples

西部。
xī bù De tiān qì bǐ dōng bù gān zào.
The weather in the western part is drier than the east.
西部。
Wǒ men jì huà míng nián qù xī bù lǚ yóu.
We plan to travel to the western part next year.
西部，。
xī bù Yǒu hěn duō shǎo shù mín zú, wén huà hěn fēng fù.
The western part has many ethnic minorities, and the culture is very rich.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

西xīwestern

西 (western) + 部 (part) means the western part.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

咅

咅pǒu部bù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Appears in

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